Deputy Minister, Mr. Kim Traavik

Launching the EEA Financial Mechanisms in Slovakia

Bratislava, Tuesday 11 January 2005

Colleagues, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Norwegian Government, it is a pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this conference on new opportunities for co-operation between Norway and Slovakia and, by extension, between Norway and the European Union.

I am very pleased that to see so many representatives of the business and academic communities, central, regional and local authorities and civil society in Norway and Slovakia present here today.

I would also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the fact that the formal inauguration of the Norwegian Embassy in Bratislava is taking place today. The Embassy is located in Palisády 29, and began working from these premises in early October.

Views still differ as to whether Norway should eventually join the European Union. There is, however, broad consensus in Norway that we must take our share of the responsibility for ensuring peace, stability and prosperity on our continent.

This is also why there is broad support for the idea that we, too, must contribute to bridging social and economic gaps in the enlarged Union, which is exactly what the EEA financial mechanisms are all about.

Close and mutually beneficial ties to the European Union are a top priority in Norwegian foreign policy. And I think a good case can be made that we have become closer to the Union than perhaps any other non-member state.

The European Economic Agreement makes Norway part of the EU internal market. This is of crucial importance since more than 70 per cent of our foreign trade is with the 25 EU member states.

As a Schengen partner, Norway is associated with important aspects of EU co-operation in the field of justice and home affairs. For example, Norway and the 13 EU member states that are part of Schengen have common external borders, and Norwegian citizens can travel without passports in the Schengen area.

And we are close to the Union in a range of foreign and security policy issues. We share the basic foreign policy outlook of the EU, and we see the value of a distinct European voice in the world. With our EU partners, we share a strong commitment and an active// approach to multilateral co-operation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Slovakia occupies a key position in Central Europe. It is a rich and culturally diverse country, and one of the major focal points in Norway’s relations with the region. Norway and Slovakia share a strong and enduring belief in freedom and democracy founded on humanitarian values. We have also been greatly inspired by your country’s dedicated reform efforts and steadfast efforts to restore basic democratic values.

There are longstanding historical ties between Norway and Slovakia. The Norwegian writer, poet and champion of independence Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson waged an active campaign for the rights of the Slovak nation in the early 20 ^th> century. For this, his name can still be seen on street signs and monuments all over Slovakia. I am confident that we can build on Bjørnson’s legacy by taking advantage of the many opportunities to further develop our bilateral relations.

The enlargement of NATO and the EU/EEA were milestones for Norway and Slovakia in recent years, effectively joining our two countries in close co-operation, both in the internal market through the EEA and in close co-operation on security matters in the Alliance. It has been a pleasure for Norway to give your country our full support in both processes.

Norway and Slovakia are committed to preventing new dividing lines in Europe, and to promoting democratic and economic reforms and development across the continent. We both agree that Europe does not end at the EU external border.

Hence, the EU’s Northern Dimension and its Action Plan, as well as the European Neighbourhood Policy, are important for both our countries. In co-operation with Slovakia and the Commission, we would like to explore whether the EEA financial mechanisms could be used to promote cross-border projects involving the EU’s so-called “new” neighbours, including countries like Ukraine.

We hope that this positive trend will continue in the time ahead. The EEA financial mechanisms will provide an impetus to the further development of our bilateral ties, in the broad area of economic co-operation, and in the areas of culture, science and research and co-operation between non-governmental organisations.

There are frequent contacts between our politicians, senior officials, the cultural and business communities, and not least between individuals in our two countries. (Prime Minister Dzurinda made an official visit to Norway in 2001 and Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik visited Bratislava in October 2003.)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Over the next five years, Norway’s contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the enlarged EU will be some 227 million euros a year. This makes us a major contributor to these efforts. We see it as an investment in a more stable, more prosperous, and more integrated Europe. And we see it as a contribution to the good functioning of the internal market, to which we attach fundamental importance.

In order to ensure that the financial mechanisms are managed efficiently and responsibly, the EEA countries have developed rules and procedures and operational guidelines for the use of the funds, and a Financial Mechanisms Office has been set up in Brussels for their day-to-day management.

And we are in the process of drawing up two Memoranda of Understanding with each of the beneficiary countries. The MoUs will specify the rights and responsibilities of the parties, and will spell out in some detail the country’s priorities for the use of the funds.

Slovakia is the fifth country with which we have concluded this process. I am looking forward to signing the MOU with the Deputy Prime Minister Pâl Csâky later today.

I want to emphasise that it is up to the beneficiary countries to set their own priorities, in dialogue with us. Similarly, the beneficiary countries will themselves propose, develop and implement the projects and programmes. But the sort of Norwegian-Slovak partnerships and networking we hope will come out of this seminar could be helpful in that process.

I am confident that many high-quality projects and programmes will materialise in the coming months and years.

There will be annual meetings to review the progress and performance of the implementation of the financial mechanisms. And that is a good thing. For the Norwegian Government it is essential that this substantial financial support produces tangible results. The Norwegian tax-payer expects nothing less.

For this reason, there are some crucial concerns that must be carefully addressed:

First, there must be transparency in the decision-making processes on both sides.

Second, the participation of regional and local authorities should be ensured.

And third, inclusiveness and the participation of civil society are important. Thus, I am very happy to see that Slovakia intends to set aside funds specifically for this purpose.

Furthermore we must strive to ensure

• that projects and programmes promote equal opportunities for men and women;
• that they promote sustainable development;
• that projects and programmes are compatible with the principles and precepts on which EU-funded activities are to be founded;
• that activities undertaken under the financial mechanisms are subject to appropriate anti-corruption and financial control measures.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway is by far the largest contributor to the EEA financial mechanisms and Slovakia is one of the largest beneficiary states. In total, Slovakia will be entitled to approximately 70 million euros over a five-year period.

We are confident that the co-operation to be undertaken under the financial mechanisms will help to strengthen the bilateral ties between our two countries, and not only at the government level.

Hopefully, it will also facilitate contacts and pave the way for co-operation between the business communities, local and regional authorities, and civic society in our two countries. In fact, this was why we decided to hold this seminar in the first place, and – I suspect – why it elicited such an enthusiastic response on the Slovak side.

In other words, the purpose of today’s seminar is to provide interested parties in Norway and Slovakia with an arena where they can come together to learn from each other, to team up in new partnerships, and to further develop partnerships that have already been established.

We hope and believe that these contacts will produce tangible results, including concrete co-operation projects. We are pleased to note an overwhelming interest in today’s event on the Norwegian as well as the Slovak side. Surely this must be seen as an expression of a shared interest in further strengthening co-operation between our two countries. And a firm foundation has been constructed for this in recent years.

At today’s seminar we are focusing in particular on the environment, cultural heritage, professional education and life-long learning, child and youth work, academic research and regional and cross-border activities.

I think I can safely say that there are Norwegian participants here today with competence and expertise in all these areas. We believe that close interaction and co-operation between the private and the public sector are the best means of achieving social and economic development. This is well reflected in the broad range of Norwegian participants, and in the themes that will be discussed later.

The environment is a top priority in the MoUs. Norway has long experience in implementing EU directives in this field, such as those on water and waste management. As a major energy producer and exporter, Norway has gained extensive experience in energy-related issues, including energy efficiency at all levels.

Environmental management, including information, and clean production and environmentally friendly technologies are issues where the interplay between public and private actors is particularly relevant.

Norway is an active partner in the EU Interreg programmes. Our regional and local authorities participate in a large number of co-operation projects in and outside Norway. Strong public-private partnerships at the regional and local level are needed to achieve the objective of sustainable development.

We are looking forward to strengthening Norwegian-Slovak co-operation in this field. Norway also has a great deal of expertise in the field of local governance. Strengthened regional and local administrative capacities are a prerequisite for the implementation of many of the EU directives.

As I mentioned, the European neighbourhood policy provides opportunities for potential cross-border co-operation financed by the EEA financial mechanisms. Norway has some valuable experience to draw on in this connection, in particular from the Barents Euro-Arctic co-operation with Russia.

The strength of the Barents co-operation lies in the direct interaction between regional administrations, 13 of which are in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and also the co-ordination between central government policies and regional policies. There is a very important additional layer of people-to-people co-operation involving non-governmental organisations, individuals or associations of various forms. Some of this people-to-people co-operation still needs support from public funds. However, we believe that this is a worthwhile investment, especially when we talk about co-operation involving youth, young entrepreneurs and citizens who are not part of an entrenched and obsolete power system.

The Barents co-operation has contributed to stability and political and economic progress. Norway has gained much experience of regional cross-border co-operation in the North and, in my opinion, we have achieved a lot. I therefore believe our experience and the Barents model of transnational and interregional co-operation in general could be highly relevant for the further development of the European neighbourhood policy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In conclusion, let me thank all those who have contributed to making this conference possible. It has been a truly interactive and co-operative process. I hope and believe that today’s programme will be valuable and relevant for all of you gathered here. I am confident that this conference will provide a good setting for launching the EEA financial mechanisms in Slovakia, and I am even more confident that the mechanisms will prove to be a valuable investment in our common future.

Thank you.